Hunter Sallis did not have his NCAA career start off on the best note. His two seasons spent with the Gonzaga Bulldogs were largely underwhelming. Transferring to the Wake Forest Demon Deacons saved his hopes of making it to the NBA.
That decision had such a big impact on his career that Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo suggested in the latest ESPN Mock Draft that the Los Angeles Lakers should select the Wake Forest guard with the 55th pick in the second round. This move could certainly be worth the Lakers' time.
According to the round-up of intel on HoopsHype, Sallis has not worked out with the Lakers. His lone workouts have been with the Milwaukee Bucks and the Brooklyn Nets. However, front offices do their due diligence when it comes to the NBA Draft.
In a position like the Lakers are in, where they will only have one pick available to them and limited opportunity to move from that spot, the job should theoretically be easier when it comes to doing the homework on prospects within that range. The question will be what grade is attached to Sallis.
Sallis' strong positives weighed down by a couple of big question marks
With the potential prospects available in this year's draft shrinking closer to the date, the Lakers' list of options is growing slimmer. Sallis would get an opportunity to fill a need if Rob Pelinka is finally ready to give up on the Gabe Vincent experiment.
The senior guard could arrive in Los Angeles with plenty of attractive things to offer regarding his game. Sallis finished his college career with an impressive campaign at Wake Forest.
The 6-foot-5-inch guard averaged 18.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.2 steals in 36.0 minutes per game during the 2024-25 season. Sallis shot 45.7 percent from the field, 27.7 percent from beyond the arc, and 80.4 percent from the free throw line.
There is undoubtedly one number that will stand out there for the wrong reasons. That would be his 3-point shooting. Sallis has shot below 30 percent from distance in three of his four seasons in college, making the 40.5 percent 3-point clip in 2023-24 look like an outlier.
However, there is some hope here. Sallis has displayed the ability to effectively knock down midrange shots and has seen his free throw percentage go up every season. This should give enough reason to believe that area of his game can be improved by NBA coaches at the pro level.
Sallis managed to get his points in other areas this past season. A strong finishing ability at the rim and good shiftiness on the ball made him a tough cover.
Defense will be a major swing factor as to Sallis' sustainability in the NBA. The 22-year-old has the effort and fundamentals to be engaged and impactful on that end. However, concerns about his size and strength raise questions about his ability to carry that over to the NBA.
With the 55th overall pick, there will be no such thing as a safe bet. Whatever selection the Lakers make will be a gamble. All things considered, there are far worse risks to take than a shot on Sallis when the Lakers are on the clock.